You’ve probably heard more times than you can count that you need to exercise. But do you really know why? For starters, here are seven reasons:
- Exercise can help you lose weight.This one’s a no-brainer, but there’s a reason exercise is part of most healthy weight loss plans. “Exercise can increase your metabolism, or the amount of fuel your body can use, which will facilitate weight loss,” says Clifford Edberg, RD, a personal trainer and program manager of personal training and nutrition coaching at Life Time Fitness in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
- Exercise can help prevent heart disease and other chronic illnesses.“Disease doesn’t like activity, especially heart disease,” Edberg says. That’s because many chronic diseases, like heart disease and cancer, are rooted in inflammation in the body. Exercise helps combat that inflammation, lowering the risk of various diseases.
- Exercise will improve your mood. You’ve no doubt heard people talking about the runner’s high – that euphoric feeling runners are said to experience after exercising. Believe it. “Your body release feel-good hormones like serotoninwhen you exercise, and you simply feel better,” Edberg says.
- Exercise can reduce stress levels.Physical activity lowers levels of stress hormones, like cortisol, in your body. For a more simple explanation, “Exercise clears your mind from the day’s hustle,” says Meg Furstoss, CSCS, founder and managing partner of Precision Sports Performance in East Hanover, New Jersey.
- Exercise can help stave off cognitive decline. Research has shown that physical activity, and aerobic exercise in particular, can help improve cognitive function, even in adults who are at high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, according to data published in January 2018 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. (1) This is why the Alzheimer’s Association lists physical activity as one of the 10 things you can do for better brain health. (2)
- Exercise may help you sleep better.People who exercise regularly tend to sleep better. Even just 10 minutes of aerobic exercise can significantly improve your sleep quality, especially if you do it regularly. Plus, you reduce your risk of sleep issues, like sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome, according to the National Sleep Foundation. (3) Bonus? “Exercise also prevents that daytime sleepiness, foggy feeling,” Furstoss explains.
- Exercise gives you a natural shot of energy.Skip the caffeine next time you need an energy boost. Instead, put your gym shoes on and at the very least go for a walk. Numerous studies have shown that exercise can increase energy levels and reduce fatigue, according to the American Council on Exercise (ACE). (4)
Mobility exercises to up your fitness
But what should your exercise routine look like? Aerobic exercise, strength training, flexibility, and recovery are all important components of physical activity and boast unique health benefits. And all of those types of exercise should be part of your workout routine. Here’s what you need to know about the different types of exercise, how to find a workout routine that works for you, and how to stick with it.
- Aerobic exercise strengthens your heart and lungs – Aerobic exercise is the foundation of every fitness program – and for good reason. “Being aerobically fit helps extend your life expectancy and improve your overall health,” Edberg says. It’s the type of exercise that conditions your heart, as well as improves lung function. (5)
- Yoga and aerobics double heart benefits – Adults should get 150 to 300 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity a week. (6) Activity should be spread throughout the week, and additional health benefits are gained if you get more than 300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week, according to the guidelines. Children and adolescents should do 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity a day, according to the HHS guidelines. Additionally, the guidelines note that unstructured or active playtime activities – like biking, jumping, or swimming – can enhance growth and development for preschool-aged children. (6) Aerobic exercises include activities like brisk walking, running, cycling, swimming, aerobic fitness classes (like Zumba), tennis, snowshoeing, hiking, and gardening. (6)
- Strength training keeps muscles and bones strong – and is important throughout your entire life –While aerobic exercise extends your life, think of strength training as a way to improve the quality of your life. As you age, you lose muscle mass, which not only slows your metabolism but can also make you weaker, Edberg explains. Yet strength training – sometimes also called “resistance training” – helps quell muscle loss. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, the definition of strength or resistance training is exercise that is “designed to improve muscular fitness by exercising a muscle or a muscle group against external resistance.” (7) It also builds bone density and decreases risk of heart disease by lowering body fat and blood pressure and improving cholesterol levels. And strength training helps prevents loss of function as you age, including helping prevent osteoporosis and loss of mobility.
Strength training found to lower heart disease and diabetes risk, whether or not you do cardio
“Bone density is an important health metric that prevents fractures and gives you the physical capacity to perform functional things in life, especially as you age,” says Nicole Belkin, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City. “Resistance exercise during adolescence and early adulthood is the biggest contributing factor to bone density.”
The HHS recommends that both adults and children incorporate muscle-strengthening workouts into their weekly routines: adults should do muscle-training activities, like resistance training and weight lifting using elastic bands or body weight for resistance, at least twice a week. (6)
Children and adolescents should aim to do strength training at least three times a week, as well as bone-strengthening activities, like jumping, running, or weight lifting, three times a week. (6)
Similarly, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends doing strength training two to three days a week, targeting each of the major muscle groups, allowing 48 to 72 hours between strength training workouts. (8)